Pump wavelength-dependent terahertz spin-to-charge conversion in CoFeB/MgO Rashba interface

Abstract

Spin/charge interconversion mechanisms provide an essential handle to generate and detect spin currents. Their applications at different timescales are critical in spintronics since they cover a technologically relevant broadband spectrum. While the inverse spin Hall effect is known to be robust from quasi-static to sub-picosecond timescales, the conversion efficiency evolution of the inverse Edelstein effect has not been addressed yet. In this work, we report that while the quasi-static response of the inverse Edelstein effect can be comparable to that of the most efficient inverse spin Hall systems, a drastic drop of efficiency is observed in the terahertz (THz) regime. This behavior at the sub-picosecond timescale is qualitatively understood from the dependence of the inverse Edelstein effect on the energy distribution of spin-carrier entities, which is different between thermalized carriers in the quasi-static regime and hot carriers generated by light pulses. This finding is supported by the pump-laser wavelength dependence in the THz regime for the inverse Edelstein effect, which offers a promising route for tunability of spintronic devices.